The Sunday Mail
Australia
May 25, 2003
Savage Garden Reunion Rejected
by Ritchie Yorke

(Thanks to Mitch for typing this up and to Keri for sending it to me)

Dashing the hopes of SG fans-

Hopes of a comeback by Queensland's phenomenally successful pop duo Savage Garden have been dashed...for the time being.

Rumours swept southern states this week that lead singer Darren Hayes and guitarist Daniel Jones were getting back together.

But yesterday Jones broke fans' hearts, saying no reunion was planned.

"I'd like to think that Darren and I were able to write some fairly good tunes together," he said from his studio in Brisbane.

"One day I would hope that we will get back and write some more.

"But there are no plans to do that for now.

"I'm really concerned with building this new creative sanctuary where I can do my future music projects and work with other artists. I said at the APRA awards that one day we may well get back together. We had an amazing song writing connection.

"Both of us may wish to renew that some day down the track. It's not out of the question. But definitely not now.

John Woodruff, the recording artists manager who discovered and signed Savage Garden in Brisbane, told the Sunday Mail the rumours started at the Australian Performing Rights Association (APRA) awards in Sydney on Monday night.

"Daniel was there to pick up Savage Garden's sixxth APRA award for the most performed work overseas, I Knew I Loved You," Mr Woodruff said.

"He was asked by reporters if he'd patched up his disagreement with Darren, and if they might ever work together again. You never say never, so Daniel said they had been talking and that they probably would work together again - some day.

Savage Garden were together for five years, recorded two hugely successful albums and sold more than 20 million CD's worldwide.

Although Hayes's solo debut, Spin, did not set US charts on fire the way Savage Garden's albums had done, it was a baig success in Britain (where it sold more than 500000 copies), Europe and South East Asia.

"Darren Hayes is one of only three Australian artists - the others being Kylie Minogue and AC/DC - who were able to sell a million albums internationally last year," Mr Woodruff said.

"All the hype about the Vines, the Datsuns and other new Oz bands...it's interesting that none of them is selling a million records.

"There's no doubt that Darren is most keen to continue travelling along that solo career path. Daniel, meanwhile, is busy producing his acts and building a house on the Gold Coast.

A source close to their record company told The Sunday Mail that both musicians would still be receiving twice yearly royalty cheques of seven figure amounts.

It is some indication of Savage Garden's success that a song released more than three years ago (I Knew I Loved You) is still receiving more global airplay that any Oz record that came out in the past 12 months -including Kylie's efforts.

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